Disintegrable inverted seal

ABSTRACT

An inverted seal includes a disintegrable body; one or more inside dimension seals disposed in the body. A method for deploying a conventional seal after an inverted seal in a borehole.

BACKGROUND

In the hydrocarbon exploration and recovery and carbon dioxide sequestration industries, there is often a need to seal various tubular structures in order to perform operations in the downhole environment. Commonly sealing elements are positioned (e.g. bonded to) on an outside surface of a tubular that is intended to be stabbed into a seal bore of a radially outwardly positioned tubular member. There are also however configurations commonly known as inverted seals where the sealing element is positioned on or bonded to an inside surface of a tubular member into which a smooth tubular may be stabbed to create a seal. Each of these configurations has important value for operations to which they are applied.

In some cases, both of these types of seals are used at different times in a particular operation or in a series of operations. Where this occurs, removal of, for example, the inverted seal must occur before the regular seal could be utilized. Operations including potentially completely separate runs might become necessary to effect the result of the second seal being deployed. These interventions are expensive in equipment, time and delay. The art is always receptive to inventions that reduce time or equipment necessary to complete operations.

The following descriptions should not be considered limiting in any way. With reference to the accompanying drawings, like elements are numbered alike:

BRIEF DESCRIPTION

An inverted seal includes a disintegrable body; one or more inside dimension seals disposed in the body.

A method for deploying a conventional seal after an inverted seal in a borehole includes positioning an inverted seal in a downhole location; utilizing the inverted seal for its intended purpose; removing at least a portion of a body of the inverted seal; running a conventional seal further downhole of the location of the inverted seal.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a quarter section view of an inverted seal as disclosed herein;

FIG. 2 is a quarter section view of an alternate embodiment of an inverted seal as disclosed herein.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Referring to FIG. 1, inverted seal 10 is illustrated in a quarter section view. The inverted seal 10 comprises a body 12, one or more inside dimension (ID) seals 14 and one or more outside dimension (OD) seals 16. OD Seal 16 is illustrated as an o-ring although other configurations are contemplated. The purpose for OD seal 16 is simply to seal against an inside dimension surface 18 of a tubular within which the inverted seal 10 is to be disposed.

The ID seals 14 may number one or more and as illustrated number two. The material of the ID seals may be a bonded rubber material or other sealing material that has properties sufficient to be useful for its intended utility. Other elastomers are, of course, included and other polymers as well. Each ID seal 14 is disposed at body 12 such that the ID seal 14 may function as desired to seal against a radially inwardly positioned tubular (not shown) that is subsequently stabbed into the seal 10. As illustrated, the ID seals 14 may be recessed into the body 12 to provide for sufficient bonding thereto. Bonding or otherwise mounting the ID seals 14 to the body 12 may be accomplished in any suitable way known to the art.

The body 12 in the embodiment of FIG. 1 comprises a dissolvable, disintegrable, removable, etc. material. For purposes of this application, the term “disintegrable” is intended to mean any of the foregoing. As illustrated in FIG. 1, the entirety of the body 12 comprises the disintegrable material. Disintegrable material may be metallic, composite, monomeric, polymeric, etc. providing the material selected has sufficient mechanical strength to support the function of the inverted seal 10 and the material will break down under selected conditions and at a rate that is supportive of the ultimate goal of reduced cost in operating the downhole system at issue. One such material is a controlled electrolytic material of the type commercially available from Baker Hughes Incorporated Houston Tex. and using the trade name Intallic™. The material may be responsive to downhole fluids or to fluids delivered to the inverted seal via pumping from surface. In the FIG. 1 embodiment, the entirety of the body 12 will go away at an appointed or appropriate time after an initial part of an operation is completed thereby leaving just the OD seal 16 and the ID seals 14, which can be circulated out of the hole or allowed to settle to the downhole terminus thereof or be left in a rat hole. In any case, it is not expected that these components will interfere with subsequent operations downhole. With the body 12 disintegrated, in other words gone, the system (not shown) is ready for further operations including the stabbing in of a conventional seal in a bore.

Referring to FIG. 2, the same ultimate goal is realized. That is that a conventional seal can be stabbed into a seal bore of a downhole system after the use of an inverted seal in a previous operation. For clarity, each of the numerals used above is repeated in this Figure with a 100 series numeral added thereto. In this case, the tubular in which the inverted seal 110 is disposed includes a recess 120 in the inside surface 118 thereof. The recess 120 is dimensioned and positioned to accept a substantial portion of the body 112 of the inverted seal 110. The portion is labeled 112 a. The balance of the body is labeled as 112 b and does extend some distance radially inside the surface 118. The amount to which the body 112 can extend inwardly of surface 118 depends upon the particular application. In any event, the configuration will be selected to ensure that body 112 a will not present an impediment to after running of a conventional seal. The portion of body 112 that is labeled 112 b comprises a disintegrable material as disclosed above. This material will go away upon the time or condition under which it has been engineered to be responsive. Accordingly, even though the inverted seal 110 initially would be an impediment to running an after run conventional seal, the embodiment of FIG. 2 allows for the utility of the inverted seal 110 while removing the impediment to the after run seal upon disintegration of the portion 112 b. This embodiment allows for the use of a non-disintegrable material for a portion of the body 112 thereby reducing cost in manufacture of the inverted seal 110. In the illustrated case the material is carbon steel but other metallic materials are also contemplated.

Further contemplated is a method for using the inverted seal disclosed herein to reduce costs and further facilitate subsequent sealing operations. The method comprises positioning an inverted seal in a downhole location at which the inverted seal will be used. The location may be a smooth bore location or one in which there is a recess for the inverted seal. Where the inverted seal requires a recess, it is normally run in with the tubing string in which it is to be positioned.

This may also be the case with an inverted seal where there is no recess but it is contemplated that the inverted seal that does not require a recess could also be run into position after the tubing string in which it will be used is already in place. The inverted seal will be used in this condition to seal against a further tubular that is run radially inwardly of the inverted seal. This may be for a fracking operation or other operations as desired. Subsequent to the operation, the disintegrable material will be disintegrated (the whole body 12 or a portion thereof) either due to the time it has been in the borehole or due to the application of another fluid to cause its disintegration, for example. Following disintegration, the inverted seal 12 or 112 will be no impediment to running a conventional seal whose sealing elements are on an outside dimension surface. Those seals will then seal against the surface 18 or 118 anywhere along that surface including further downhole of the location of the inverted seal. It is also contemplated that the surface 112 b in FIG. 2 can be removed forcibly from the metallic body 112 a with a blade or similar mechanical device (by for example cutting or scraping) prior to running in with other inverted seals. The material 112 b is softer and can thus be more easily removed.

While the invention has been described with reference to an exemplary embodiment or embodiments, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes may be made and equivalents may be substituted for elements thereof without departing from the scope of the invention. In addition, many modifications may be made to adapt a particular situation or material to the teachings of the invention without departing from the essential scope thereof. Therefore, it is intended that the invention not be limited to the particular embodiment disclosed as the best mode contemplated for carrying out this invention, but that the invention will include all embodiments falling within the scope of the claims. Also, in the drawings and the description, there have been disclosed exemplary embodiments of the invention and, although specific terms may have been employed, they are unless otherwise stated used in a generic and descriptive sense only and not for purposes of limitation, the scope of the invention therefore not being so limited. Moreover, the use of the terms first, second, etc. do not denote any order or importance, but rather the terms first, second, etc. are used to distinguish one element from another. Furthermore, the use of the terms a, an, etc. do not denote a limitation of quantity, but rather denote the presence of at least one of the referenced item. 

1. An inverted seal comprising: a disintegrable body; one or more inside dimension seals disposed in the body.
 2. The inverted seal as claimed in claim 1 wherein the body comprises a controlled electrolytic material.
 3. The inverted seal as claimed in claim 1 wherein the body is disintegrable in response to downhole fluids.
 4. The inverted seal as claimed in claim 1 wherein the body is disintegrable in response to fluids delivered to the inverted seal.
 5. The inverted seal as claimed in claim 1 wherein the body is entirely disintegrable.
 6. The inverted seal as claimed in claim 1 wherein the body is partially disintegrable.
 7. The inverted seal as claimed in claim 1 wherein the body includes a portion that is disintegrable and portion that is durable.
 8. The inverted seal as claimed in claim 7 wherein the durable portion is radially outwardly disposed of the disintegrable portion.
 9. A method for removing an inverted seal from a downhole environment comprising: exposing the body of the inverted seal of claim 1 to a condition to which it is responsive; disintegrating a portion of the body.
 10. A method for deploying a conventional seal after an inverted seal in a borehole comprising: positioning an inverted seal in a downhole location; utilizing the inverted seal for its intended purpose; removing at least a portion of a body of the inverted seal; running a conventional seal further downhole of the location of the inverted seal.
 11. The method as claimed in claim 10 comprising: setting the conventional seal.
 12. The method as claimed in claim 10 wherein the removing is disintegrating.
 13. The method as claimed in claim 10 wherein the removing is forcible.
 14. The method as claimed in claim 10 wherein the removing is cutting.
 15. The method as claimed in claim 10 wherein the removing is scraping. 